By Durosimi Thomas BBC Sport in Tunis

Burkina Faso 1-3 Mali

Kanoute has now scored three in two games

Mali booked a place in the last eight of the African Cup of Nations with an easy victory over Burkina Faso.

Tottenham forward Frederic Kanoute opened the scoring when he poked home Mahamadou Diarra's pass.

Four minutes later Diarra added his name to the scoresheet by heading in a corner past keeper Abdoulaye Soulama.

Burkina pulled one back through Dieudonne Minoungou before the tricky Soumaila Coulibaly wrapped things up for Mali with a well-taken effort.

The Burkinabes were looking to cause another Cup of Nations shock after holding strong Cup contenders Senegal to a goalless draw in their opening game.

We must be ready for the final match with Senegal - there is first place to play for Mali coach Henri Stambouli

And for a while it seemed as if they would, before Kanoute and Diarra, within a few moments of each other, decided to turn things in favour of Mali.

Kanoute's finish with the inside of his foot from Diarra's square pass was followed just few moments later by a headed goal from the supplier himself.

But it took a strike by Germany-based Coulibaly to give the Malians some relief after the Burkinabes upped the ante in the second-half.

Minougou pulled a goal back in the 49th minute after Saidou Madi Panandetiguiri raced down the right flank to cross from the near post.

You have to take your chances in games like this and Mali had that ability with a player like Kanoute Burkina coach Jean-Paul Rabier

The goalscorer then could have levelled matters but headed over the bar from a free-kick.

Midfilelder Tanguy Barro also fluffed a big opportunity when his feeble effort failed to reach what appeared to be an empty net.

The minnows were made to pay for those misses 12 minutes from time, when Coulibaly danced past two defenders to slot the ball past the desperate dive of Burkina keeper Abdoulaye Soulama.

Mali, who have already qualified, face Senegal in their final match while Burkina Faso must beat Kenya and hope that Mali win to have any chance of progressing to the next stage.

Burkina Faso: 16-Abdoulaye Soulama; 2-Moussa Ouattara, 12-Saidou Madi Panandetiguiri, 5-Lamine Traore, 7-Amadou Coulibaly; 6-Rahim Ouedraogo (10-Abdoulaye Cisse 82), 8-Mahamaoudou Kere, 13-Bebe Kambou, 18-Amadou Toure (14-Dieudonne Minoungou 46); 9-Moumouni Dagano, 11-Tanguy Barro (3-Patrick Zoundi 69)

Mali: 1-Mahamadou Sidibe; 3-Fousseiny Diawara, 4-Adama Coulibaly, 5-Brahim Thiam, 17-Sammy Traore; 11-Djibril Sidibe, 18-Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (14-David Coulibaly 60), 6-Mahamadou Diarra, 8-Bassala Toure (2-Souleymane Diamotene 82); 10-Soumaila Coulibaly (15-Abdoulaye Demba 90+2), 19-Frederic Kanoute

Referee: Abdelhakim Shelemani (Libya)